Sheet-suspending clamp



Aug. 18, 1925. 1,550,103

J. SCHUMACHER SHEET SUSPENDING CLAMP Fild Dec. 50,' 1924 INVENTOR 2o- Jol-m Schumacher Patented Aug, 18, 1925. t.

UNITED STATES JOHN sonuivraonnls, or Los aucunes, CALIFORNIA.

j snnnr-susrnnnme CLAMP.

`Application led December, 1924. Serial No. 758,807.

To allwhom'it may concern.: y `Be it known that I, JOHN SoHUMAoHnR,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and resident ofA the city ofLos Angeles, in

Los Angeles County, State of California,`

have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s 1n Sheet-Suspendmg Clamps, of

j which the following is a specification.

' or series ofsheets by gripping the upper edges thereof. j

The object ofmy invention is to provide adevice of this character which will effectively engage and hold the sheets and which also is automatically adjustable so as to com'- pensate for certain irregularitiesin the position of the sheet so as to insure engaging the surface of the sheet by the full width of the clamping members instead of engaging them by only a portion of the width of said members.

My invention consists principally in mounting the clamping members upon their frame in such manner that they may have a limited amount of rocking movement about a vert-ical axis so as to adjust themselves for full face contact with the sheet instead of engaging them chiefly by oneedge, as might happen in case the sheets were positioned at a slight angle and the clamping jaws were rigidly fixed.

The novel features of my invention upon which I desire to secure a patent will be hereinafter described and then speciiically defined by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the construction of my invention in the form which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of the device, the line of view being` lengthwise of the sheets.

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the same, parts with portions of the supporting frame cut away to better illustrate features of my invention.

Figure 3 is an elevation showing the face of one of the clamping members.

My invention is based upon and is an improvement over the apparatus shown in the patent for a sheet supporting and carrying bar, issued to Arthur G. Smith and Frank R. Bates, on January 13, 1925, No. 1,522,923. ,In the practical operation of the apparatus shown in the above patent, it has been found A that at times the sheets, when presented to the'carrying apparatus, do not occupy positionsexactly aligned with the faces of the clamping members, thatis, with t-he ears 2 of vthe drawings accompanying-herewit-h. liihen the sheets are presented to this carrying apparatus they are relatively soft, the plaster which forms the body thereof having only very slightly set. When the engagenient thereof of the ears 2 with these sheets is such as to bring greater pressure upon one side edge thereof than upontthe other, these clamping ears have a tendency to be swung somewhat into the body of the board, thus marring the same.

To avoid this difficulty I have mounted the clamping ears upon the transversely extending carrying bar by a vert-ical pivot axis so as to permit of a slight adjustment about this axis to thereby conform their faces with the Vfaces of the sheets when presented thereto. y this expedient I `secure a full face contact of the clamping ears with the sheets and avoid indenting the sheet by unequal pressure upon one side thereof.

In the accompanying drawings 1 rep resents the transversely extending bar of the supporting carriage and 11 a longitudinal thereof and 10 the pivot bolt by which it is connected with the carrying wheels. Said supporting carriage and the essential parts thereof are designed to be essentially the same in construction as shown in the patent above referred to. Instead of having the clamping ears 2 made as an integral part of or fixedly secured to the transverse carrying bar 1, I make each vof the clamping ears 2 as a separate piece having an angular cross section, and secure the same to the carrying bar 1 by a vertical pivot axis as 21. The flange of this ear which is secured to the carrying bar 1 is made of such width relative to their spacing upon said bar as to leave a slight separation between them, as is clearly shown both in Figures 1 and 2. In consequence these may rock slightly independently each of the other and therefore be automatically adjusted to fit the angular position of the sheet presented thereto.

In accordance with the construction of the device shown in the patent referred to, I employ a gravity dog, the same consisting of a short section 3 of pipe which engages one face of the sheet to hold it up against the adjacent nel' 2 and at the opposite side engages Va cam-like projection or rib 20. rlhe operating face of the latter is inclined downwardly and in a direction converging towards the complemental face of the adjacent ear. This surface which engages directly with the gravity dog 3, consists of a vertically extending narrow surface. Being narrow the rocking of the ear necessary to cause it to conform in position with t-he position of the face of the sheet 4, will not in any way affect the action ofthe dog which engages with the opposite side of the same ear. ff th'c surface of the incline 2O were a broad surface, this would interfere with proper rocking of t-he ear in order to engage its opposite surface properly with the sheet 4.

Vilhat I claim as my invention is:

l. i gravity holding clamp for sheets comprising separated ears between which the edges of the sheets may be inserted, the clamping face of one ear having an incline downwardly inclining towards the other ear, said ear being mounted to adju'stably pivot about a vertical aXis, and a. gravity dog between said ears and engaging said incline.'

2. Gravity clogging clamps for sheets comprising separated ears adapted to receive the sheet between them, the opposed faces of adjacent ears having surfaces which are relatively converging' downwardly, and a gravity dog positioned between said ears, said ears being mounted for automatic adjustinent about vertical axes.

3. A gravity clogging clamp for sheets comprising two depending ears between which the edge of the sheet may be inserted, the sheet clamping face of one ear being a vertical plane surface and of the other ear being a narrow surface inclining downwardly towards the first ear, and agravity dog between said ears, sai-d ears being mounted to rock about a vertical axis.

4. A sheet suspending and carrying device comprising a bar positioned to extend transversely of and above the sheets to be carried, a series of ears depending from said bar and connected thereto by a vertical pivot axis to permit a-vlimited rocking action7 one clamping face of each ear having a narrow engaging surface converging downwardly toward the adjacent surface of the next ear, and a roller dog between each pair of ears.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 10th day of December, 1924.

JOHN SCHUMACHER. 

